BRR Blog – 17 March 2025
Steve C and Belinda at the Essex 20.
Hi there, Road Runners,
And happy St. Patrick’s Day, to anyone who might be celebrating the man famed for driving snakes out of Ireland. I’m not sure what the snakes ever did to him. Okay, okay, it was symbolic of driving paganism out of Ireland. I’m not sure what the pagans ever did to him…
OK, who switched off the heating? Just when we thought the winter was over, the frosty weekend was a real shock to the system. It reminded me of 18 March 2018, when the Brentwood Half Marathon was cancelled due to the ‘Beast from the East’ bringing heavy snow. Let’s hope the same doesn’t happen to this year’s Brentwood Half, the first race in the 2025 Grand Prix competition, although it looks like we will be suffering heavy rain rather than heavy snow.
In the meantime, wrap up warm and enjoy this week’s blog!
Donation Update
Our Micky Ball
Thank you to everyone who donated to one or both of the JustGiving fundraising pages in memory of Micky Ball.
I am pleased to say that, alongside some of Micky’s other friends and family, we raised an amazing £892 for the British Heart Foundation, and £697 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. The money has been passed by JustGiving directly to the charities.
I will be closing the pages at the end of the month so, if you intended to make a donation but just haven’t got round to it yet, you only have a couple of weeks to go.
Here is the link for the RNLI: https://www.justgiving.com/page/micky-ball-1
Here is the link for the British Heart Foundation: https://www.justgiving.com/page/micky-ball-2
Membership Renewal 2025/26
A reminder that it is tie to renew your BRR membership for the coming year. We have once again left our membership fee unchanged at just £15 for a full year (£7.50 for under-18s and second claimers). This has to be the bargain of the year!
If you also want to register with England Athletics, which gives you a £2 discount on all races approved by EA, plus discounts on various athletics-related products, the cost is £20.
You can pay your membership directly into the BRR bank account:
Account number - 42026724
Sort code - 40-03-33
Please use the following references:
£15 mem (BRR membership only)
£35 mem/EA (BRR membership and EA membership)
£20 EA (EA membership only – only available to life members)
The Death of the 10,000?
On the road, 10k is a very popular distance, bridging the gap between parkrun/5k and the half marathon. But it appears its track-based brother, the 10,000m, is falling from favour. Many regular track events, like the Diamond League, have dropped the distance and the new Grand Slam Track League has purposefully excluded it.
It seems the distance isn’t considered very television-friendly – perhaps watching some people running around in circles for around half an hour isn’t that exciting. Michael Johnson, the creator of the Grand Slam Track League, argued that the 10,000m is simply too long to hold modern audiences’ attention.
In the UK we’ve had the annual Night of 10,000m PBs since 2013 but the event won’t be taking place in 2025, allegedly to give volunteers ‘a well-earned rest.’
However, the 10,000m has long acted as a pipeline for elite athletes to transition from the track to the road. Mo Farah secured gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 201 and 2016 Olympics before winning the 2018 Chicago Marathon with a European record time of 2:05:11. Similarly, Kenenisa Bekele, who dominated the 10,000m with multiple world titles and Olympic golds, transitioned successfully to the marathon, running the second-fastest time in history (2:01:41) at the 2019 Berlin Marathon. More recently, Sifan Hassan, made her name in the 5,000m and 10,000m before smashing the London Marathon in 2023 and the Paris Olympics Marathon in 2024.
What do you think? Is there a place in the TV schedules for the 10,000m or should organisers focus on shorter, more exciting races?
Tip of the Week
Want to run faster? Steer clear of the booze!
Sorry folks, but alcohol has been proven to impede recovery, reduce sleep quality, and dampen cardiovascular adaptations to training. One of the simplest things you can do to improve your running is to drink less. If you think you run well after a drinking session, think how much better you would have done without the booze.
Thou Shalt Not Pass!
If you attended track last week you may have noticed that half of the main gate was padlocked shut.
We have now been told by Everyone Active, who manage the track on behalf of Barking and Dagenham Council, that the gate will remain locked and we will not be provided with a key.
The explanation is that some users (not us, I hasten to add) have been driving dangerously fast in the track environment, including when children are present. As usual, the bad behaviour of a few spoils things for everyone.
If you are driving to track, it may be more convenient to park at the end of the Sporthouse car park furthest from Lodge Avenue (i.e. near the circular turning point) and enter via the back gate nearest the track building – we will try and remember to unlock the gate as soon as we arrive! But do please be aware of your personal safety.
Did you know…
Farfalle parkrun in Pada, Italy
…in Padua, Italy, there is a parkrun called farfalle? We know farfalle as a type of pasta and the parkrun course, in Parco Delle Farfalle, actually reflects that shape. But it actually means butterflies. Who wouldn’t’ want to run parkrun butterflies!
Post-Race Fuelling
Eating is often the last thing on your mind immediately after a race. If you’re like me you might ee feel a bit queasy (all that bobbing up and down can shake up your innards) But post-race fuelling is an important part of your recovery.
A post-run snack containing protein and carbs in the 20-30 minute ‘golden window’ immediately after the end of your race (and training runs, for that matter) is usually recommended to help your muscles repair and grow. This could be a protein shake, some chocolate milk, or a protein bar.
Later on, when your system has settled down and you start to feel hungry, have a proper meal but, again, make sure it balances carbs and protein to boost your body on its road to recovery.
Greg’s Race Report
Several Barking Road Runners were in Saffron Walden for the Essex 20-mile race or the accompanying 10k and 5k races. Sunny Bulchandani ran the 20-mile race, finishing in 2:58:30, picking up 10-mile and Half Marathon personal bests along the way. Also in the 20-mile race were Belinda Riches, who finished in 3:02:38, and Steve Colloff, who finished in 3:36:00.
Sunny with his Essex 20 medal
Gary Harford ran in the 10k race at the same meeting finishing in a time of 59:54.
Gary after the Debden 10k
Barry Rowell ran the Colchester Half Marathon finishing in a time of 2:18:08 which was four minutes quicker than the HM in Victoria Park that he completed the week before.
Barry at the Colchester Half Marathon
BRR Parkrunners
Barking - Owen Wainhouse 21:18, Joshua Ezissi 21:53, Jonathan Furlong 23:17, Adrian Davison 23:51, Rosie Fforde 23:55, James Hall 25:11, Jason Li 27:11, George Hiller 28:41, Andrew Hiller 29:41, Nikki Cranmer 37:40, JohnLang 40:43 and Alan Murphy 53:53.
Harrow Lodge - Rory Burr 23:27 and Doug King 27:55.
Ingrebourne Hill - Andrew Gwilliam 33:15.
Valentines - Kevin Wotton 23:38 and Mark New 24:17.
Wimpole Estate - Martin Brooks 28:14.
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Rosie Fforde 62.72% for the women and Adrian Davison 69.04% for the men.
Joshua just before his 100th parkrun, at Barking Park
BRR Diary – March/April
To see the full diary of BRR events on the TeamUp app. Just download the TeamUp app onto your phone, then enter the calendar key: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 when asked. If you don’t want another app on your phone, you can also find it under the ‘events’ tab on the Barking Road Runners website: https://www.barkingroadrunners.org.uk/calendar.
7.00pm, Tuesday 18 March – Speed Session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. Zahra will be taking the session, which is called ‘diminishing recoveries’:
4 x (2 min run, 1 min recovery) 1 min extra recovery
4 x (2 min run, 45 sec recovery) 1 min extra recovery
4 x (2 min run, 30 sec recovery) 2 min extra recovery
And I used to think Zahra was such a nice girl…
7.00pm, Thursday 20 March – Road Run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. Usually between 4-6 miles.
22-28 March – Virtual Handicap 06. The penultimate virtual event.
10.00am, Sunday 23 March - Brentwood Half Marathon (GP01). Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, Essex CM15 9DA. SOLD OUT!
10.30am, Sunday 6 April – St. Clare 10k (GP02). St Clare Hospice, Hastingwood Road, Hastingwood, Essex, CM17 9JX. Second race in this year’s Grand Prix competition. A nice run through the Essex countryside, with proceeds going towards St. Clare Hospice. Enter at: https://stclarehospice.org.uk/event/st-clare-hospice-10k-2024/
8.00am, Sunday 13 April - Run4life 5k and 10k. Coventry University London, Rainham Road North, Dagenham, RM10 7BN (the old Dagenham Town Hall building). Not a club race, but it’s local if you feel like giving it a go. Enter at: https://run4life.org.uk/
12-18 April – Virtual Handicap 07. The last race in the competition!
Cracker Corner
The frogs in my garden are enjoying the new beer-flavoured food I am giving them. They love the hops.
Yesterday I went to buy a candle. The shop assistant asked if I wanted it scented. I said no thanks, I’ll take it with me.
I went for an appointment with my optician but he said he couldn’t see me. And I thought I was the one who needed an eye test…
Quote of the Week
“We are designed to run, and we increase our chance of daily happiness when we do so.”
Jeff Galloway
And Finally
You can always rely on the Chinese for a good running story.
Hundreds of runners at the 2025 Suzhou Marathon, one of the largest events in China, are under investigation after photos and videos emerged on social media of participants urinating in public parks, flowerbeds and even on a school sign, despite the availability of porta potties along the course. Race organizers are now asking people who may recognize these runners to come forward.
Runners at the Suzhou Marathon. Dirty boys…
Organisers said that they had provided hundreds of portaloos throughout the course. The race and the Suzhou Sports Bureau say they have launched a full-scale investigation, examining social media and security camera footage in an attempt to identify offenders. Race organizers released a statement condemning the behaviour, urging any witnesses to come forward with information: “We strongly condemn this uncivilized behaviour. We have informed the relevant departments and initiated an investigation. Moving forward, we aim to enforce stricter regulations and enhance supervision to promote a culture of respect in future races.”
I know many runners don’t want to lose time in a race by queuing for the loo. But many of the offenders were indulging in public micturition (word of the week) before the race had even started. Public urination in Suzhou is illegal and punishable by a fine of up to 1,000 yuan (£107).
Coincidentally, I have visited Suzhou when my brother was teaching English in China. I didn’t run due to the heat and high levels of pollution. And I certainly didn’t indulge in any public micturition…
Keep on Running
Alison
Chair, Barking Road Runners
